Strong Winds Blow Skydivers Away from Drop Zone, Injuring One

DELAND, Fla. —Skydivers missed their drop zone and scattered all over a Florida town after high winds pushed them away from their designated landing spot. Fox 35 Orlando reported that one of the skydivers suffered injuries after missing the drop zone. The injured skydiver crashed into a stand of trees and then fell several feet to the ground below. Estimates say that skydiver fell as far as 50 feet from the trees back to the earth. The skydivers involved in the incident that happened in DeLand, Florida are members of a skydiving team and were not novice skydivers. *

Jumpers from the Gator Skydive Team, who frequently train at Skydive DeLand, a skydiving company which operates out of the DeLand airport, found themselves at the mercy of strong winds Thursday, after exiting their plane. Estimates provided to Fox by DeLand town officials indicated that some members of the Gator skydiving team missed their landing area by as much as two miles. DeLand residents were shocked to see that the skydivers started landing randomly around the town. More than one jumper landed at the municipality’s high school, and another came down in an intersection.  One resident told Fox 35 News that he had never seen skydivers come so close to landing on his home as they did on Thursday.

The only skydiver who suffered any injuries from the mishap landed in a tree. Fire and Rescue officials from DeLand rushed the injured person to a local hospital because of the serious injuries inflicted after getting caught in a tree. One witness speculated that the jumper freed himself from his webbing and plummeted to the ground. The landing broke an arm, and first responders feared the man’s pelvis might be broken as well. Witnesses said the man was fortunate he did not become ensnared in power lines strung a short distance away from the tree. 

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Source:http://www.fox35orlando.com/news/local-news/1-injured-when-skydivers-miss-landing-zone-due-to-strong-wind